The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1887-02-16
MANUFACTURE OF VALENTINES.

MANUFACTURE OF VALENTINES.
rho VARIOUS Processes which Are En-
ployed--Poetry 10y the Yard.
The average citizen is not apt toreceiye
comic valentine descriptive of his Iirin-
cipal fault or weakness with any degree
of pleasure. He oftener gets mad and
In some cases searches for the sender. a
fi.ctors IN this city has. during the past
I N months, turned out 10, GOO, 600 comic
and 10000 sentimental valentines
With such advantages practical jolzers
and lovers via have plenty of material
with which to work ON Feb. ID, Yalen-
tines Birthday. The former prevalent
custom of venting a petty spite by send
ing a comic valentine has comparatively
died out in the eastern and middle states.
West of the Mississippi river the valentine
las, however, a ready sale.
recently paid visit to the above
mentioned factory The many opera
tons through Which toy books and valen-
tines pass before they are ready to be de-
iyered to stilc retailer are interesting.
The first floor of the factory is occupied
by paper cutting and enclosing machines.
Tho paper on which valentines are printed
is received from the manufacturer direct,
and is not in condition for use. 1t
must 5d cut IN pieces, 4zI2 IL feet, and
on which are stamped sixteen Comic val
entpes., After being cut, the paper is
taken TO the second floor and printed.
Three hundred cut of the 400 employees
in the factory are women and girls.
While the majority of the work is done
by skilled labor. some departments are
operated axhollyl by machinery. z
n \, I..If
artists draw tie pictures used in vllen-
tines and toy books. After a drsisving is
made and Photographed the negative is
coated with a solution and exposed to the
sun. Tho negative is again coated, this
time with photographic ink, and placed in
n basin of water barely deep enough to
cover it. The ink is washed off, except
that part of the, plate ON which the draw
ing haJ been Photographed. Tie mega
tive is then ready for the etcher. The
etching process is too well known to bear
repeating here. After the drawing has
been etched on a zinc plate it is ready for
the press The. OPERATION by which.
rough zinc is made smooth is interesting.
The zinc is placed under movable emery
.papers, which are changed half hourly
These papers vary from hard to soft Tho
constant friction of the emery wears
away the zinc, so that in time it becomes
as smooth as glass. Seven papers, differ
ing in quality and thickness, are used In
the operation
Superintendent Thompson estimated
that the firm owned 100 900 steel and
zinc plates. 1t must not be supposed that
9 valentine can be struck, off complete by
one impression. In some cases yalen-
tines pass through no less than dozen
oI,
different shade or color to the picture
Take for example a drawing of ma
clinist at work. The mans hat is red.
his face and arms are pink, his hair and
mustaclle are blue, syyitlI.a tinge of black,
the apron and table are yell,GT, the
trousers green, while his shoes are blue
with tinge of black.
Sentimental valentines are made of
fancy paper and satin. The plates pass
through the same process as comics Tho
handsome, highly perfumed valentines,
which the lang,lishing swain pays from
Sd to s. for, are hand painted, or, as the
superintendent said, touched up. The
touching up consists of artistically daub-
ing paint here and there about tho outer
surface of the valentine. These hasty
strokes result in flowers, pictures descriD-
tive of the billings of turtle doves, and
pastoral scenes. The valentine firm en-
ploys Il poet, to whom it pays weekly
salary. This genius writes yards upon
yards of poetry u daily The firms pro-
Gluction of comic valentines this year in
clrlde 1000 different designs and the
same number of original verses. The
poet has within the past six months
written 1000 comic verses, in addition
to 500 verses of sentimental poetry. 1t.
is said that valentine poetry is difficult to
write, and if this be true the composer of
$500 verses averaging eight lines each,
is entitled to no little consideration
Cor. Brooklyn Eagle.